About 'Tritsch-Tratsch Polka'

Johann Strauss II (or Johann Strauss the Younger, or Johann Strauss Jr.) (October 25, 1825 - June 3, 1899) was an Austrian and German composer known especially for his waltzes, such as The Blue Danube.

Composition Date:

1858

Composition Info:

Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214 (also known as "Trish Trash Polka"), is a polka written by Johann Strauss II in 1858 after a successful tour of Russia where he performed in the summer concert season at Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg.

The title may be interpreted as "Chit-chat" and may refer to the Viennese passion for gossip. Strauss may also have been referencing the single act burlesque "Der Tritsch-tratsch" (with music by Adolf MÃ¼ller, Sr.) by the famous Austrian dramatist and actor Johann Nepomuk Nestroy, which premiered in 1833 and was still in the stage repertoire when the polka was written. Many point out that the title may also have meant his first wife's (Henrietta Treffz) poodle, also named Tritsch-tratsch, but this etymology remains unsubstantiated as well.

The mood of the piece is jaunty and high-spirited, as were many of Strauss' polkas.